Advanced user interface operations in a dual-mode wireless device

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided for mobile stations for enhancing the ease of use of a mobile station. Through the system and method, a user may more easily view the phone number of a caller identification card. The user may be alerted when the user tries to send messages while out of GPRS coverage, or the mobile station may recognize extension numbers in address book user interface applications to assist with a dialling operation.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/497,803 filed on Jun. 3, 2004, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,664,515, (entitled“ADVANCED USER INTERFACE OPERATIONS IN A DUAL-MODE WIRELESS DEVICE”)which is a national stage entry of PCT/CA02/01946, filed Dec. 6, 2002,(entitled “ADVANCED USER INTERFACE OPERATIONS IN A DUAL-MODE WIRELESSDEVICE”) the entirety of both of which is herein incorporated byreference. This application claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 60/336,705 (entitled “ADVANCED USER INTERFACEOPERATIONS IN A DUAL-MODE WIRELESS DEVICE” filed Dec. 7, 2001). By thisreference, the full disclosure, including the drawings, of U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/336,705 is incorporated herein.

BACKGROUND

1. Technical Field

The present invention relates generally to mobile communication devicesor stations and more particularly to user interface applications fordual-mode communication mobile devices or stations.

2. Description of the Related Art

While the functionality of handheld mobile stations has increased, sohas the difficulty in using them. For example, current handheld mobilestations do not provide an easy way for a user to display the phonenumber that is assigned to the station via a subscriber identity module(SIM) card. To perform the required display steps may take too long andbe awkward for the user to remember. Because the user may have to accessseveral menus to find the phone number, the user also might not be ableto access the phone number during a call.

Difficulties also arise when handheld mobile stations are in coveragezones of limited messaging capability. For example, stations do notadjust their behaviour for sending messages while in zones of limitedmessaging capability, such as by alerting a user to the limited networkcapability or to other methods of sending messages while in such zones.Additional difficulties arise when a user is manipulating interfacesassociated with a mobile station's address book. Current address bookuser interfaces on mobile stations do not recognize special characterssuch as extension numbers when dialling. A typical station will dial aphone number in an address book and not recognize any further numbersafter the main phone number. If the user is prompted by an automatedoperator for an extension number, often the user must re-open theaddress book application and find the associated extension number toinput manually.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the teachings disclosed herein, a system and methodare provided that enhance the ease of use of a mobile station. Forexample, a system and method are provided that allow a user to view thephone number of the dual-mode station by reading a caller identificationmodule card, and displaying a phone number on the main screen of thestation's LCD. As another example, the mobile station alerts a user whenthe user tries to send messages while within a network of limited textmessaging capability. The mobile station notifies the user of thenetwork's capability and/or other methods of sending messages while outof coverage. As yet another example, the mobile station recognizesextension numbers in address book user interface applications. When aphone number with an associated extension number is dialed, the mobilestation allows for automatically dialling the extension number. Furtherfeatures of the invention will be described or will become apparent inthe course of the following detailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be more clearly understood, the one ormore embodiments thereof will now be described in detail by way ofexample, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram depicting a mobile station configured todisplay one or more phone numbers associated with a calleridentification card;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are block diagrams depicting use of different calleridentification cards and networks with a mobile station;

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing steps for displaying a phone number onthe main screen of a mobile station;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram depicting a station that has been configuredto handle text messages within communication networks of varying textmessaging capabilities;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram depicting use of alternative ways of sending amessage based upon type of communication network;

FIG. 7 is an example of an environment where the dual-mode mobilestation may be used showing both the data and voice elements of thesystem;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating components that may be used witha dual-mode mobile station;

FIG. 9 shows a main screen of a dual-mode mobile station showing onlyvoice coverage;

FIG. 10 shows a main screen of a dual-mode mobile station showing bothvoice and data coverage;

FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the steps for sending a message when auser enters a GSM network without GPRS;

FIG. 12 is a block diagram depicting the handling of messages involvingdifferent network operational states;

FIG. 13 is a block diagram depicting a system which allows a station tohandle special characters such as extension numbers when dialling toreach a recipient over a communication network;

FIGS. 14A and 14B are flow charts showing steps for making a phone callusing a phone number that has an associated extension number; and

FIG. 15 is a block diagram depicting a mobile station capable of calleridentification card processing, varying text messaging processing, andphone extension dialling processing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts a dual-mode mobile station 30 that is capable of bothvoice and data communications. The station's user 32 can insert andremove caller identification module cards (such as subscriber identitymodule cards) from the station 30 so that other stations may contact themobile station 30. To allow other stations to contact it, the calleridentification module card 34 is associated with at least one phonenumber 36. The station 30 contains a processor 38 which is configurablethrough machine instructions to allow the phone number 36 to bedisplayed on the main screen 42 of the station 30.

Through display of the phone number 36 on a main or primary screen 42,the user 32 does not have to course through a station's menu hierarchy44 or learn multiple key sequences to access the card's phone number.Display on a main screen 42 (as indicated at 40) allows a much easierway for a user 32 to view the phone number 36 on the card 34. This isespecially helpful if the user 32 needs to view the number quickly, forexample, if the user 32 is on a phone call and needs to provide thenumber 36 from the card 34.

It is noted that if there is a menu or screen hierarchy 44 on thestation 30, then a main screen 42 will typically occupy the top of thehierarchy or it may be the screen that is primarily displayed to theuser 32. Also, a main screen 42 may include the screen that is presentby default while a phone conversation or phone operation takes place.Furthermore, the notification might be a display shown to the user onseveral key screens, such the primary screen and/or the messagingscreen, and/or the phone application's main screen(s).

The system may be varied in many ways. For example if the user 32changes cards as shown in FIG. 2, then the phone number 60 of the newcard 62 is displayed (as indicated at 64) on the main screen 42. A cardcoupling mechanism as is typically used with mobile stations is providedto allow a card to be added (e.g., inserted into or attached thereto)and removed from the station 30. The system is adaptable to manydifferent mobile stations that are capable of handling SIM cards andtheir functional and operational equivalents. The system may alsodisplay on the main screen or window 42 other identification informationassociated with the card, such as the user's e-mail address from thecard. The mobile station may also connect to larger networks usingwireless short range or LAN-based networks, such as a network complyingto the 802.11 standard.

FIG. 3 provides another example of the flexibility of the system whereinthe phone number on the main screen 42 is changed if the user 32 changesnetworks. A card 36 may have multiple identities or phone numbers 80depending on networks or countries within which the user roams.Accordingly, if the user goes from one network 82 to another network 84due to travelling from one place to another, then a different phonenumber from the card may be used. As indicated at 86, the main screen 42is updated to reflect the changed phone number.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram showing the steps for displaying the phonenumber on a main screen of the dual-mode station. In step 102, the userinserts a card into the dual-mode station. In step 104, the stationreads the phone number from the card. In step 106, the stationpreferably displays the number it read from the card on the main screenof the station. If the user changes the card in step 108, then returningto step 104, the station will re-read the new number from the new cardand in step 116 display this number on the main screen. If the userchanges networks in step 110, the station will display the phone numberfor this new network on the main screen in step 112.

FIG. 5 depicts a station 200 that has been configured to handle textmessages within communication networks of varying text messagingcapabilities. The varying text messaging capabilities arise from a firstcommunication network 202 providing greater text messaging capabilitythan a second communication network 204. For example, the Groupe SpecialMobile or the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network is avoice-only network that supports limited ‘paging’ or messagingcapabilities. This limited support is known as SMS (Short MessagingService) and supports messages of 160 characters that severely limit theamount of information that can be exchanged. To expand text messagingcapability, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) data network is addedto GSM to support larger data exchanges to a full range of wirelessstations. If a user enters a country that has not yet implemented orinstalled the GPRS data support in their GSM network, then the user onlyhas limited data exchange support.

It is noted that the terms GSM and GPRS are used to represent wirelessnetworks that support both voice and data communications. In thesenetworks two networks are merged into one single network that cansupport both voice and data communications over the same physicalnetwork. The relatively newest of these combined networks include: (A)the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network that has been developedand operated by Qualcomm, (B) the Groupe Special Mobile or the GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM) and the General Packet RadioService (GPRS) both developed by the standards committee of CEPT, and(C) the future third-generation (3G) networks like EDGE and UMTS. GPRSis a data overlay on top of the very popular GSM wireless network,operating in virtually every country in Europe.

FIG. 5 shows a user 210 accessing an interface 212 (e.g., a screen orwindow) of the station 200 in order to create a text message 214. Thestation 200 determines the text messaging capability or the type ofcommunication network within which the mobile station is presentlyoperating. For example, the station 200 may determine that the presentcoverage only provides limited text messaging capability and that thetext message 214 exceeds the limited text messaging capability. In sucha situation, the station 200 may notify the user 210 of presence of onlylimited text messaging capability. The station 200 may then allow that atext message be sent that is compatible with the text messagingcapability of the present coverage. The station 200 may also allow themessage 214 to be stored until the station 200 enters into a networkwhose capability is sufficient to send the message. To perform theseoperations, the station 200 contains a processor 206. The station 200also contains a storage device to store textual messages. Many differentstorage devices may be used, such as a station's non-volatile memory(e.g., flash memory) or volatile memory (e.g., RAM).

The station 200 may provide many different types of indications to theuser, such as visual or audible indications to alert the user as tomessaging data capability. The indicators may represent the size andtype of messages that are supported through the current networkcapabilities. The indicator may also be useful for debugging problems,determining the type of messages that can be exchanged with the network,and determining which networks and network nodes support data traffic atany given point in time. For example, customer support can ask the userwhat the network capability indicator currently reads and can help theuser understand why they cannot send messages of a certain type.

FIG. 6 shows still another technique that a station 200 may utilize. Thestation 200 may provide one or more alternative ways 216 of sending themessage 214. For example, the station 200 will check to see if therecipient is in the station's address book 218. If the message'srecipient is in the station's address book 218, then the station 200will check to see if the recipient has a GSM phone number. If therecipient does have a GSM phone number, then the station 200 will alertthe user 210 that they may contact the recipient using SMS and presentsthe user 210 with that choice via the interface 212.

As another example, the mobile station 200 may detect the presence of RFdata channels on the local base station closest to the mobile device.The user is presented with a tracking indicator showing the current datacapabilities of the wireless network. The user's ability to perform dataoperations is restricted when the network tracking indicator shows thatdata channels are not currently available.

It should be understood that some or all of these operations may havevarying degrees of manual interventions. As an illustration, the station200 may be configured to have the user 210 informed that the presentnetwork lacks the capability to transmit the created text message 214,or the user 210 is informed that a recipient has a GSM phone number andthat upon user approval the message 214 will be sent using SMS. Also,the station 200 could be configured to automatically perform suchoperations without any or substantial user involvement. It should alsobe understood that the station 200 may be communicating with manydifferent types of networks. For example, a user may roam from aGSM/GPRS network to an 802.11 network, or from a Bluetooth network to aW_CDMA network, or from a 802.11 network to a GSM-only network, etc. Asthe user moves between these networks a network capability notificationis provided the user to assist the user in understanding whatcapabilities are available at any given point in time.

The station 200 may also include other capabilities as a user movesbetween networks with different capabilities. For example, a user movingto networks like 802.11 might provide an indicator that a user isallowed now to login-in securely through the companies VPN servers.Another indicator might indicate that the user has moved to an 802.11network which might also enable the use of voice over IP (VoIP) and helpreduce the user's phone costs. An indication of accessibility to aBluetooth network might allow the user to send a document to a locallyavailable Bluetooth-compatible printer. Accordingly, the indicators mayrepresent many different network capabilities, such as: GSM, GPRS, CDMA,I-DEN, W-CDMA, 802.11, GSM/802.11, GPRS/802.11, CDMA/802.11, GPRS/Blue,etc.

FIG. 7 shows an exemplary environment where a mobile station may beused. As shown in FIG. 7, there is a dual-mode mobile station 300capable of receiving both voice and data events simultaneously. Theenvironment may allow the pushing of data items from a host system to adual-mode mobile data communication station 300. Although the systemsand methods described herein are not restricted solely to a push-basedtechnique, a more detailed description of push-based messaging may befound in U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,694 (“the '694 patent”), entitled “Systemand Method for Pushing Information From A Host System To A Mobile DataCommunication Device Having A Shared Electronic Address”, and issued tothe assignee of the instant application on Apr. 17, 2001, and in thefollowing co-pending and commonly-owned United States patentapplications, all of which are related to the '694 patent: U.S. patentapplication Ser. Nos. 09/401,868, 09/545,963, 09/528,495, 09/545,962,and 09/649,755. The complete disclosure of the '694 patent and each ofthese applications, including drawings and claims, is herebyincorporated into this application by reference.

Additionally there might be a range of host service providers 305 and310 that exchange large messages with dual-mode mobile stations on aregular basis. The data being exchanged could include information likee-mail, voice-mail, intranet data, database engines, CRM data, SAP data,financial transactions, banking information and all forms of relatedcorporate information 320 and 325. The dual-mode mobile station 300 isalso capable of receiving and sending traditional cell phone calls onvoice channels. This aspect of the dual-mode mobile station 300 allowsit to connect with a voice-based wireless network 345, which for anyoneskilled in the art understands this is a traditional cell-phone network345. These communication methods are not mutually exclusive and bothcould be operating simultaneously on the same dual-mode mobile station300.

In legacy GSM networks there was support present for both voice-basedtraffic 355 and SMS traffic 350. Short message service (SMS) 350 wasused on the voice control channel of the GSM network and support 170characters of data traffic to be exchanged. Host side connections tothis SMS link were very difficult and expensive so very limitedpenetration was achieved for traditional corporate 310, financial 305 orInternet service based solutions 330. SMS was occasionally used forpeer-to-peer messages to other phones and the data limitations weresevere enough that GPRS was developed to solve the lack of data support.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of a mobile communication station 300 in whichthe methods and systems described herein may be implemented. The mobilecommunication station 300 is preferably a two-way communication stationhaving at least voice and data communication capabilities. The stationpreferably has the capability to communicate with other computer systemson the Internet. Depending on the functionality provided by the station,the station may be referred to as a data messaging station, a two-waypager, a cellular telephone with data messaging capabilities, a wirelessInternet appliance or a data communication station (with or withouttelephony capabilities).

Where the station 300 is enabled for two-way communications, the stationwill incorporate a communication subsystem 411, including a receiver412, a transmitter 414, and associated components such as one or more,preferably embedded or internal, antenna elements 416 and 418, localoscillators (LOs) 413, and a processing module such as a digital signalprocessor (DSP) 420. As will be apparent to those skilled in the fieldof communications, the particular design of the communication subsystem411 will be dependent upon the communication network in which thestation is intended to operate. For example, a mobile station 300destined for a North American market may include a communicationsubsystem 411 designed to operate within the Mobitex™ mobilecommunication system or DataTAC™ mobile communication system, whereas amobile station 300 intended for use in Europe may incorporate a GeneralPacket Radio Service (GPRS) communication subsystem 411.

Network access requirements will also vary depending upon the type ofnetwork 419. For example, in the Mobitex and DataTAC networks, mobilestations such as 300 are registered on the network using a uniquepersonal identification number or PIN associated with each station. InGPRS networks however, network access is associated with a subscriber oruser of a station 300. A GPRS station therefore requires a subscriberidentity module (not shown), commonly referred to as a SIM card, inorder to operate on a GPRS network. Without a SIM card, a GPRS stationwill not be fully functional. Local or non-network communicationfunctions (if any) may be operable, but the mobile station 300 will beunable to carry out any functions involving communications over network419. When required network registration or activation procedures havebeen completed, a mobile station 300 may send and receive communicationsignals over the network 419. Signals received by the antenna 416through a communication network 419 are input to the receiver 412, whichmay perform such common receiver functions as signal amplification,frequency down conversion, filtering, channel selection and the like,and in the example system shown in FIG. 8, analog to digital conversion.Analog to digital conversion of a received signal allows more complexcommunication functions such as demodulation and decoding to beperformed in the DSP 420. In a similar manner, signals to be transmittedare processed, including modulation and encoding for example, by the DSP420 and input to the transmitter 414 for digital to analog conversion,frequency up conversion, filtering, amplification and transmission overthe communication network 419 via the antenna 418.

The DSP 420 not only processes communication signals, but also providesfor receiver and transmitter control. For example, the gains applied tocommunication signals in the receiver 412 and transmitter 414 may beadaptively controlled through automatic gain control algorithmsimplemented in the DSP 420.

The mobile station 300 preferably includes a microprocessor 438 whichcontrols the overall operation of the station. Communication functions,including at least data and voice communications, are performed throughthe communication subsystem 411. The microprocessor 438 also interactswith further station subsystems such as the display 422, flash memory424, random access memory (RAM) 426, auxiliary input/output (I/O)subsystems 428, serial port 430, keyboard 432, speaker 434, microphone436, a short-range communications subsystem 440 and any other stationsubsystems generally designated as 442.

Some of the subsystems shown in FIG. 8 perform communication-relatedfunctions, whereas other subsystems may provide “resident” or on-stationfunctions. Notably, some subsystems, such as keyboard 432 and display422 for example, may be used for both communication-related functions,such as entering a text message for transmission over a communicationnetwork, and station-resident functions such as a calculator or tasklist.

Operating system software used by the microprocessor 438 is preferablystored in a persistent store such as flash memory 424, which may insteadbe a read only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown).Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the operating system,specific station applications, or parts thereof, may be temporarilyloaded into a volatile store such as RAM 426. It is contemplated thatreceived communication signals may also be stored to RAM 426.

The microprocessor 438, in addition to its operating system functions,preferably enables execution of software applications on the station. Apredetermined set of applications which control basic stationoperations, including at least data and voice communication applicationsfor example, will normally be installed on the mobile station 300 duringmanufacture. A preferred application that may be loaded onto the stationmay be a personal information manager (PIM) application having theability to organize and manage data items relating to the station usersuch as, but not limited to e-mail, calendar events, voice mails,appointments, and task items. Naturally, one or more memory stores wouldbe available on the station to facilitate storage of PIM data items onthe station. Such PIM applications would preferably have the ability tosend and receive data items, via the wireless network. In a preferredembodiment, the PIM data items are seamlessly integrated, synchronizedand updated, via the wireless network, with the station user'scorresponding data items stored or associated with a host computersystem. Further applications may also be loaded onto the mobile station300 through the network 419, an auxiliary I/O subsystem 428, serial port430, short-range communications subsystem 440 or any other suitablesubsystem 442, and installed by a user in the RAM 426 or preferably anon-volatile store (not shown) for execution by the microprocessor 438.Such flexibility in application installation increases the functionalityof the station and may provide enhanced on-station functions,communication-related functions, or both. For example, securecommunication applications may enable electronic commerce functions andother such financial transactions to be performed using the mobilestation 300.

In a data communication mode, a received signal such as a text messageor web page download will be processed by the communication subsystem411 and input to the microprocessor 438, which will preferably furtherprocess the received signal for output to the display 422, oralternatively to an auxiliary I/O station 428. A user of mobile station300 may also compose data items such as email messages for example,using the keyboard 432, which is preferably a complete alphanumerickeyboard or telephone-type keypad, in conjunction with the display 422and possibly an auxiliary I/O station 428. Such composed items may thenbe transmitted over a communication network through the communicationsubsystem 411.

For voice communications, overall operation of the mobile station 300 issubstantially similar, except that received signals would preferably beoutput to a speaker 434 and signals for transmission would be generatedby a microphone 436. Alternative voice or audio I/O subsystems such as avoice message recording subsystem may also be implemented on the mobilestation 300. Although voice or audio signal output is preferablyaccomplished primarily through the speaker 434, the display 422 may alsobe used to provide an indication of the identity of a calling party, theduration of a voice call, or other voice call related information forexample.

The serial port 430 may be implemented in a personal digital assistant(PDA)-type communication station for which synchronization with a user'sdesktop computer (not shown) may be desirable, but is an optionalstation component. Such a port 430 would enable a user to setpreferences through an external station or software application andwould extend the capabilities of the station by providing forinformation or software downloads to the mobile station 300 other thanthrough a wireless communication network. The alternate download pathmay for example be used to load an encryption key onto the stationthrough a direct and thus reliable and trusted connection to therebyenable secure station communication.

A short-range communications subsystem 440 is a further optionalcomponent which may provide for communication between the station 424and different systems or stations, which need not necessarily be similarstations. For example, the subsystem 440 may include an infrared stationand associated circuits and components or a Bluetooth™ communicationmodule to provide for communication with similarly-enabled systems andstations.

FIG. 9 presents as an example of a handheld PDA station that is capableof RF communications. This PDA is produced by Research In Motion and iscapable of both voice and data communications simultaneously. As shownat 505 the current indicator on the main screen shows GSM traffic only.With this indicator the user will be capable of sending and receivingvoice calls and sending or receiving SMS messages. If the user tries tocompose and send a full e-mail message, access a corporate database orbrowse the Internet, they will be informed that this support is notpossible at this time. Internet access includes, but is not limited toaccess of HTML, WML, XMS, cHTML, XHTML web page content. However, if theuser checks the main screen they will not waste time in trying to usethese services as they can determine quickly before hand it would be notaccessible.

FIG. 10 shows the same handheld PDA station as FIG. 9, except thatindicator 605 indicates that GPRS support is now present. When a personis using such a station they are able to quickly and easily determinethe capability of a given network base station, sub-network or network.For one skilled in the art of wireless communications it is common fornetworks to limit one or more base stations to restrict access tocapabilities like GPRS. For example it would be possible that whentraveling between Great Britain and France that GPRS support could belost, as France might not have implemented GPRS in their network. Theunsuspecting user could be very frustrated and even return the mobilestation 300 if it failed to work as advertised. The GPRS indicatorinforms the user what the capabilities of the network are as they changecountries or within the same country. The presence of this indicatorhelps to ensure the user understands what the capabilities of thenetwork are, and hence what capabilities can be extended to the user atany moment in time. This indicator may be implemented using a wide rangeof visual changes. The user interface (UI) used may have changed theclock to bold, or a ‘+’ sign could have been used beside the GSMindicator, or many other clues to the user. However, these UI changesare designed to inform that user about the capabilities available tothem within the station, as extended by the wireless network.

FIG. 11 describes an exemplary scenario involving these operations aswell as others. More specifically, FIG. 11 illustrates a scenario forsending a message when a user enters a GSM network without GPRS. In thisscenario the mobile station automatically detects the network capabilityand informs the user during the process of composing a message. In step720, the user enters a GSM network that does not support GPRS. The userthen composes an e-mail message in step 722 either replying to a largemessage or composing a large message to send to an e-mail address.However, since the user is not in a GPRS-supported network, when theuser enters the recipient e-mail address in step 724, the station willalert the user that the message cannot be sent on the current network instep 726. The station will then check to see if the recipient is in thestation's address book in step 728. Note, that it is possible thedestination e-mail address was entered as a one-time address and therecipient is not in the address book. If the recipient is not in theaddress book, then in step 730, the user is given the option of enteringthe address book to select a recipient that does have an SMS address. Instep 740, if the user decides not to enter the address book and selectsanother recipient, the station will alert the user that the message willbe saved and sent when the user enters a network that supports GPRS. Ifthe recipient is in the station's address book, or if the user decidedto enter the address book, then in step 732 the station will check tosee if the new recipient has GSM phone number. If the recipient does nothave a GSM phone number, then in step 740, the station will alert theuser that the message will be saved and sent when the user enters anetwork that supports GPRS. If the recipient does have a GSM phonenumber, then in step 734, the station will alert the user that they maycontact the recipient using SMS and presents the user with that choicein step 736. If the user does not choose to contact the recipient usingSMS, then in step 740, the station will alert the user that the messagewill be saved and sent when the user enters a network that supportsGPRS. If the user does choose to contact the recipient using SMS, thenin step 738, the station contacts the recipient using the GSM phonenumber of the recipient and initiates an SMS connection. Operations ofthe system are not limited to the steps or the order of the steps shownin the flow chart of FIG. 11. For example the determination of themessage type supported may have occurred manually as the user examinedthe visual indicator. The user may also have just been allowed tocompose a message type and it may have automatically been saved if itcould not be sent.

It should be understood that the system may be varied in many ways. Asshown in the example of FIG. 12, the mobile station 200 may handle itssending of text messages differently based upon where in the networkregistration process the station is. The station 200 may have been ableto connect to a GPRS network 800 and have an IP (internet protocol)address. However, the station 200 has not completed the registrationprocess with the network 800. In such a situation, the station's networkconnection status is considered to be in a state 802 less than full GPRScapability. When the station is in a state 802 less than full GPRScapability, the station 200 handles the transmission of text messagesdifferently, such as by handling the message as if the station were in aGSM network (with only SMS capability). After the station 200 receivesconfirmation from the network 800, then the station is considered to bein a state 804 with full GPRS capability. Text message handling by thestation 200 is performed as described above.

In those situations where capability is overlapping, then the stationmay automatically determine the best most cost effective method toperform the action. For example, it a user roamed from GPRS to 802.11the user will be notified that they can compose large messages. In thisexample, the station routes these messages directly to the 802.11 nodeand not the GPRS node to save network costs. Alternative, the user mightconfigure the device to prompt them with the choice, just in case it isimportant that the message be sent through the slower and more expensiveGPRS. (This might arise because the host service being accessed is onlyavailable through this path). Also if the user roams from GSM to 802.11coverage, the user could make a phone call through either network GSM or802.11. The user can configure automatic or manual behaviour todetermine a method for routing the call. Once they see the GSM/802.11indicator they know that calls are supported, however they may beprompted to determine if they want to make a traditional GSM call or anadvanced voice over IP (VoIP) 802.11-based call. In this embodiment thenetwork capability indicator might show both networks that can be used,for example GSM/802.11, GPRS/802.11, CDMA/Bluetooth or UMTS/802.11. Thisextended visual indicator further assists the user to understand theoptions available for them on each available network.

FIG. 13 shows a system wherein a station 900 can handle specialcharacters 902 such as extension numbers when calling a recipient 904over a communication network 906. The station 900 includes a diallingsubsystem 908 that dials a main phone number 912 and any extension 902found in an address book 910. Such an approach obviates the need for theuser 914 to re-open an address book application 910 in order to find theassociated extension number to input manually. Optionally, the station900 may ask the user 914 via the station's interface 916 whether to dialthe extension number 902 before an attempt is made to dial the extensionnumber 902. Otherwise the operation may be performed automatically.

FIGS. 14A and 14B illustrate a scenario for making a voice call using aphone number that has an associated extension number. In order torecognize associated extensions, the station preferably recognizesspecial characters in the address book that are related to extensionnumbers. Extension numbers may be prefixed at the user's discretion andmay use such characters as ‘x.’, ‘x’, ‘ext.’, ‘ext’, ‘ex.’, ‘ex’, ‘e.’,‘e’, or ‘extension’.

In step 950, the user enters the station's address book application. Theuser chooses to call a recipient phone number that has an extensionnumber in step 952, for example, 555-1212 ext. 1000. In step 954, thestation's dialling subsystem detects a special character at the end ofthe selected phone number. In step 955, when the station dials the phonenumber, the station preferably pauses in order to wait for the call tobe answered. In step 956, a dialog box appears on the station screen toask whether the user wants the station to dial the detected extensionnumber. In step 958, the call is answered. In step 960, it is determinedif the call was answered by an automated operator. If the call was notanswered by an automated operator, then in step 962, the dialog box iscancelled, and the user continues with the phone call in step 964.

If the call is answered by an automated operator, in step 960, then theuser decides whether to accept the dialog box and dial the extensionnumber in step 966. If the user accepts the dialog box, then in step968, the station automatically dials the extension number provided inthe address book and waits for the call to be answered. The user thencontinues with the call in step 964.

If the user does not accept the dialog box in step 966, then the dialogbox is automatically cancelled in step 970. In step 972, the stationallows the user to manually enter the necessary information for theautomated operator. If the user chooses not to enter any information, assome automated operators allow, the user will continue with the call instep 964. If the user chooses to enter information, then the user willenter the Dual Tone Multiple Frequency tones for the automated operatorto process and respond to in step 974. The user will then continue withthe call in step 964.

The system and method may be varied in many ways. For example, thedevice may have the ability to dial an extension with no main phonenumber included. The user may have stored the company phone numberwithin a phone application. If the dialling software encounters a numberwith only the special extension string, then it dials the company numberfirst, pauses for a configured length of time and then dials theextension.

Still further, it will be appreciated that the entire above descriptionrelates to the preferred embodiment(s) by way of example only. Manyvariations on the systems and methods will be obvious to thoseknowledgeable in the field, and such obvious variations are within thescope of the systems and methods as described and claimed, whether ornot expressly described. For example, FIG. 15 shows a mobile station1000 capable of caller identification card processing 1002, processing1004 to handle communication networks of varying text messagingcapabilities, and phone extension dialling processing 1006. Suchprocessing (1002, 1004, and 1006) which were described above enhancesthe ease of use of the mobile station 1000 for a user 1008. In theexample of FIG. 15, the mobile station 1000 includes a processor 1018having a data pathway to a subscriber identity module (SIM) card 1010.The SIM card 1010 is associated with one or more preselected phonenumbers. The processor 1008 is configurable to execute machineinstructions that allow the phone number(s) associated with the card1016 to be displayed on the mobile station's main screen 1012.

The mobile station 1000 also includes in this example a stationinterface 1014 that facilitates creation of a text message throughinteraction with the station's user 1016. The processor 1018 provides adetermination of text messaging capability of the communication networkwithin which the mobile station 1000 is operating. A storage device 1020stores the user's text message. The user's text message is sent from thestation 1000 when the station 1000 is within a communication networkwhose text messaging capability is sufficient to handle the user's textmessage or is handled by some alternate processing as described above.Moreover, the station 1000 may include an address book application 1008which contains recipients' main phone numbers and extensions. Thestation's user 1016 accesses the address book application 1008 in orderto request that a recipient be contacted. The dialling subsystem 1006uses the main phone number and extension from the address bookapplication 1008 to contact the requested recipient.

1. A method for use with a mobile station that can communicate withcommunication networks of varying text messaging capabilities, saidmethod comprising: facilitating the creation of a text message by themobile station's user, determining text messaging capability of acommunication network within which the mobile station is operating; andif the determined text messaging capability is insufficient to send theuser's text message, then allowing the user's text message to be sentfrom the mobile station when the mobile station is within acommunication network whose text messaging capability is sufficient tohandle the user's text message.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereindetermination of sufficiency of a network's text messaging capability isbased upon a size of the user's text message, wherein if the determinedtext messaging capability is determined to be insufficient to send theuser's text message, then performing the following steps: providing dataindicative of the network's text messaging capability to the mobilestation's user; and allowing the mobile station's user to send a textmessage that is compatible with the text messaging capability of thecommunication network within which the mobile station is presentlyoperating.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the user's text message isan electronic mail (e-mail) message.
 4. The method of claim 1, whereincommunication networks have coverage types.
 5. The method of claim 4wherein the coverage types comprise Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) with General Packet Radio-Service (GPRS).
 6. Themethod of claim 4, wherein the coverage types comprise Global System forMobile Communications (GSM) network without General Packet Radio Service(GPRS).
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the coverage types compriseGlobal System for Mobile Communications (GSM) with Short MessagingService (SMS).
 8. The method of claim 4, wherein the mobile station isoperating within Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) networkwithout General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), wherein the text messagingcapability of the communication network within which the mobile stationis operating is determined insufficient to send the user's text message,wherein the mobile station sends the user's text message when the mobilestation is within Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) withGeneral Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network.
 9. The method of claim 4,wherein the user's text message is an electronic mail (e-mail) message,wherein the mobile station is operating within Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) network without General Packet Radio Service(GPRS), wherein the GSM network has Short Messaging Service (SMS),wherein SMS provides less text messaging capability than GPRS, whereinthe text messaging capability of the communication network within whichthe mobile station is operating is determined insufficient to send theuser's text message, wherein the user's text message is allowed to besent from the mobile station when the mobile station is within GlobalSystem for Mobile Communications (GSM) with General Packet Radio Service(GPRS) network or the user's text message is allowed to be sent usingSMS.
 10. The method of claim 9 further comprising: after a recipient'se-mail address is specified by the mobile station's user, notifying theuser that the user's text message cannot be sent on the current network.11. The method of claim 9, further comprising: determining whether arecipient is in an address book stored on the mobile station; and if therecipient is not found in the address book, then allowing a recipient tobe selected from the address book in order to select a recipient thathas a GSM phone number and a SMS address.
 12. The method of claim 11further comprising: contacting the recipient using an GSM phone numberof the recipient and initiating an SMS connection in order to send theuser's text message.
 13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:determining whether the recipient is in an address book stored on themobile station; and if the recipient is not found in the address book,then notifying the user that the user's text message will be saved andsent when the mobile station enters a network that supports GPRS.
 14. Amobile station that can communicate with communication networks ofvarying text messaging capabilities, comprising: a station interfacethat facilitates creation of a text message through interaction with themobile station's user; a processor configurable to provide adetermination of text messaging capability of a communication networkwithin which the mobile station is operating; and a storage device thathas storage capacity to store the user's text message, wherein theuser's text message is sent from the mobile station when the mobilestation is within a communication network whose text messagingcapability is sufficient to handle the user's text message.
 15. Anapparatus for use with a mobile station that can communicate withcommunication networks of varying text messaging capabilities, whereinthe user's text message is an electronic mail (e-mail) message, whereinthe mobile station is operating within Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) network without General Packet Radio Service(GPRS), wherein the GSM network has Short Messaging Service (SMS),wherein SMS provides less textual messaging capability than GPRS, saidapparatus comprising: means for facilitating creation of a text messageby the mobile station's user; means for determining text messagingcapability of the communication network within which the mobile stationis operating; and means for allowing the user's text message to be sentfrom the mobile station when the mobile station is within the GSM withGPRS network.
 16. A method for use with a mobile station that cancommunicate with one or more communication networks that can handle textmessaging, said method comprising: facilitating creation of a textmessage by the mobile station's user; determining text messagingcapability of a communication network within which the mobile station isoperating by determining a network connection state; and if thedetermined text messaging capability is insufficient to send the user'stext message because of the determined network connection state, thenallowing the user's text message to be sent from the mobile station whenthe network connection state changes to a second state that provides atext messaging capability sufficient to handle the user's text message.17. The method of claim 16 wherein the determined connection state is afirst state, wherein the first state comprises a connection to a networkand comprises an internet protocol (IP) address but not a networkregistration confirmation.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein thesecond state comprises the mobile station having received the networkregistration confirmation.
 19. The method of claim 16, wherein thenetwork is a network having General Packet Radio Service (GPRS)capability.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the mobile station is adual-mode mobile station that is capable of both voice and datacommunications.